Loren Aberhart: ChristchurchNZ General Manager of Destination and Attraction on the success of the Electric Avenue festival

The Garden City's reaping the benefits of this year's Electric Avenue festival. 

The event produced $10.5 million in visitor spend after 75 thousand people attended in February. 

It's believed to be the largest since the 1974 Commonwealth Games. 

Loren Aberhart, ChristchurchNZ General Manager of Destination and Attraction, told Mike Hosking they’re looking at options for growth, as the festival had the city bursting at the seams. 

They’re undertaking accommodation research, she says, and planning ahead for the opening of the One NZ Stadium to ensure the city has the capacity to cope with events. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
To christ Church. I've got more good news from christ
Church Electric Avenue. Remember that in February Music Festival ten
and a half million dollars in visitors spend, so that
would be a record, a fifty one year record in fact,
because that would make it the biggest spend since the
nineteen seventy four Commonwealth Games. Seventy five thousand people walk
through the gates at Hagley Park, sixty three thousand visitor
night's ninety eight percent of the city's accommodation book. That's

(00:21):
not bad. A christ Church, New Zealand or christ Church
Ends it's general manager for Destination and Attraction, Lauren Aberhartz
with us. Lauren, a very good morning to.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
You morning mate.

Speaker 1 (00:30):
What's the magic Because in Australia music festivals are dogs,
they've gone no one goes anymore because they like to
go to a singular event. What's the magic of Electric I.

Speaker 2 (00:39):
Think it's a max of getting really good content, but
also the location. The fact that we've got an inner
city urban environment works a part where you can go
and have a festival experience that stay in nice. Accommodation
is what people are paying.

Speaker 1 (00:54):
For and has this got growth left in it or
is this as big as it gets? Do you think
we're looking.

Speaker 2 (01:01):
At what options are for gross it's certainly had the
city bursting at the setting. So we're currently undertaking some
accommodation research to see, you know, whether or not we
can grow and certainly planning a heads for one New
Zealand stadium opening to make sure that the city's got
the capacity to cope.

Speaker 1 (01:17):
Because ninety eight percent's full for all essential purposes.

Speaker 2 (01:20):
Isn't it Yes, and not just commercial accommodation. We're sort
of talking about people's backyards with vans and you know,
all sorts of billeting going on.

Speaker 1 (01:32):
Isn't it exciting? The stadium and yours were your sense
of what it's going to do as far assunderstanding and
people coming to town to concern.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
Yeah, we're We're incredibly exciting. We're looking at about fifty
million dollars of economic impact peranum from the stadium. I
think that's really conservative. The visitors spend will be quite significant,
especially in twenty twenty six. We've got a huge program
of events that we're working with the news or to takey
on and were going to get that place pumping Jesus.

Speaker 1 (02:02):
It feels very exciting. Every time I talk to someone
in Christchurch, you get excited about Lauren. Appreciate Lauren Aberhart,
who's the gem of destination attraction for christ ten and
a half million dollars for more from The Mic Asking Breakfast,
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